Dealing with stress in a healthy way

Dealing with stress in a healthy way

I’m starting week 7 of my journey to fitness. The excitement has worn off and some days exercising is just plain hard work. I’ve seen progress, especially in the first few weeks — I’m down ten pounds and five inches. I’ve hit the first plateau, where my body is saying, “Hey, wait a minute. Let’s not starve ourselves here.” The good news is I’m being consistent with my eating and exercising. The bad news is the numbers haven’t changed lately and sometimes it’s easy to be discouraged.

I’ve been thinking about how I arrived at the place where I weighed more than I ever had before. For me it was about stress and unhealthy responses to stress in my life. Here are things I find stressful:

Relationship issues – By nature I’m a people pleaser. It makes me feel good when I am able to help others. It makes me feel bad when there’s conflict between me and somebody else.

Home renovations – Kendall and I have been married for over 20 years. We’ve been doing some sort of renovations for over 18 years. I’m the type of person that likes a place for everything and everything in its place. I’ve learned to be more flexible with my children. However, it still bothers me when I constantly feel like I’m living “out of a suitcase”.

I know that I will always have stress in my life. Some things I’ll be able to change, and with other things I’ll have to choose to cope. I find that identifying the things which stress me out is the first step to dealing with them in a healthy way. When I feel stressed, I often crave my comfort foods – chocolate, sweetened yogurt, cheesecake, and other sweet things. In the past few weeks I’ve started training myself to slow down and think before I eat. Here are some things I’ve found helpful:

Drinking water – often I’m thirsty rather than hungry

Choosing healthy snacks – vegetables or protein

Allowing myself an occasional treat

Choosing an activity to get my mind off eating and onto something else

16 thoughts on “Dealing with stress in a healthy way”

I find I often eat as a way of self-nurturing. I’m comfortable with being an introvert, but it leaves me isolated as well. When I need a pick-me-up, or encouragement, or want a reward for tackling something hard, there’s no one but the fridge to fill that gap. I did make changes. I dropped 80 lbs about 6 years ago, and have managed to keep it off. It can be a struggle, though.

Your list of triggers is helpful. I wonder if I should do a conscious evaluation of my eating triggers once a month, so I can keep my life in balance? And I need to post the pro-active steps on my friend … er… my fridge. LOL

Great post once more. I like how you listed the things you are doing and aiming for and also giving yourself a snack on occasions. I don’t always handle stress the best but learning to not turn to unhealthy choices when stressed. Small steps eventually lead to big steps, it all takes time. Blessings as you continue on your journey to better health.
Marilyn(OBS Group Leader)

Thanks Marilyn. I find it better to allow myself an occasional treat than to totally deny myself and then binge on sweets. When I know I can have a treat I don’t feel like I’m depriving myself. It sounds silly, but it works for me 🙂

I really enjoyed your post Ruth and can relate to those triggers too! I know there are times those comfort foods and snacks are calling me one at a time!! LOL!! I have been working the process one day at a time and doing exercises everyday. I thank God for my small victories and I too have to slow down and think before I eat.. Blessings to you Ruth.. 🙂

Well Ruth – You hit the nail on the head! I can relate…the only difference is I am single mom, and all the “stuff” falls to me…which stresses me. I appreciate your list of things that help! Thank you for your candor, and for your blog post. Blessings, Teresa

I too have found a regimens that’s working,mand I’m finding comfort in the discipline and obedience. One thing I love about my exercise time, is that I’ve made it my prayer &!meditation kind of time. I put it on my spiritual songs, and I clear my mind of the day and I purpose solely on God. And He is in my heart and my mind with tools for my life. And it’s amazing how my life is changing. It’s not an emotional change but I find that the actions and the things that I and doing a resulting and all sorts of different thought patterns and different actions that spillover into areas of my life that are having positive effects.